Susan Wild poses with supporters on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at Coca Cola Park in Allentown, PA, after winning a congressional seat in the state's 7th District. Wild was sworn in to the 116th U.S. Congress on Thursday. (Courtesy of Chloe Hoffnagle)

Northampton County paints the midterm blue

Northampton County saw a total of 38,479 voters on Nov. 6, with an Election Day turnout of 34,484 and an absentee turnout of 3,995, according to the county’s Summary Report.

U.S. Congress

Susan Wild (D), Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District

Wild (D) earned 51.92 percent of Northampton County votes. Her opponent, Marty Nothstein (R), earned 45.10 percent of Northampton County votes. Out of the entire district, Wild earned 54.6 percent of the vote, according to The Associated Press.

Bob Casey (D), US Senator

Casey earned 54.45 percent of Northampton votes. Republican candidate Lou Barletta earned 43.84 percent of Northampton votes. Out of all Pennsylvania voters, Casey received 55.7 percent of the total votes, according to The Associated Press. Casey, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, will not serve his third term.

National results offered mixed results for both parties, according to The Guardian.

Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives, successfully flipping 27 seats — four more than the 23 they needed heading in to Election Day. The new House will encompass 222 Democrats and 196 Republicans.

Republicans retained control of the Senate and expanded their majority. With three races still to be called at the time of publication, Republicans will enter the new Congress with at least 51 seats, and Democrats will hold 46 seats. Overall, Republicans gained at least two seats in the Senate.

Richard Matthews, a distinguished university professor of political science, said the nation sent a message.

“I look at all elections as a Madisonian scholar,” Matthews said. “If you look at that perspective, there’s only one public voice, and that’s the House. That flipping represents the mood of the country. There’s a clear sentiment that wants to stop Trump.”

Matthews said the Senate is an “undemocratic body” and therefore is more a part of the election system that James Madison constructed, not a reflection of the mood of the country. He explained, for example, the fact that both Wyoming and California both receive two senators despite their vastly different populations makes the Senate undemocratic.

Though President Donald Trump was not on the ballot, Matthews said Trump’s role in the midterm election could not be ignored.

“You cannot underestimate how good (Trump) is at manipulating reality and motivating voters,” Matthews said. “He is a charismatic leader who learned to use social media to his distinct advantage.”

As for Pennsylvania races, Matthews iterated that “all politics is local” and the Republicans didn’t put up “much of a campaign” in the gubernatorial and Senate races. He also attributed Wild’s win in part for releasing more effective advertisements in her congressional race against Nothstein.

With a divided government in Washington come January, Matthews said this is exactly what the nation’s founders had in mind.

“The system is designed for gridlock,” Matthews said. “That means there’s no consensus. I suspect not much is going to happen — maybe infrastructure or something about drug prices. I suspect Trump will be happy if nothing happens. That way he can blame the Democratic-controlled House.”

Thirty-six governors’ races were also up for grabs. With 35 races called, Democrats picked up seven states. Republicans still hold a 26 to 23 advantage at the governor level.

Results are unofficial, pending votes from overseas military personnel and mail-in ballots, which are accepted until Thursday.

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